Chapter 4 I Am Going to Get Married

The next day, Daniel met with his parents. He had to be as calm as possible and tell them the news with complete naturalness; without faltering, trying to follow the argument to the letter, or no one would believe the farce.

"Well, we are here, son. What do you want to talk to us about?" his mother asked him.

"I am going to get married."

"What do you mean you are going to get married? What are you talking about, Daniel?" His father was a little surprised; it was something he did not expect to hear from him again.

"I am going to get married in a few weeks, Dad, and I want the whole family to meet her."

"Wait a moment, son, wait... Who exactly are you going to marry?"

"Deanna."

"Who? Who is Deanna?"

He knew his mother would fill him with questions. She wanted her grandchildren to have the presence of a woman while they grew up, one who was not herself or Susan, but this was too sudden. Neither of them was prepared to hear what Daniel had to say.

"Deanna is Harry's university classmate. We have been dating for a few months now, and I decided to marry her."

"Harry's classmate?!"

"Yes, Mom, I know what you are thinking. That is precisely why we decided to keep the relationship as discreet as possible."

"You are fifteen years older than Harry, meaning that if she is his classmate... she is his same age! Are you going to marry a woman much younger than you, whom you have only been dating for a few months?"

"That is right."

"You are crazy, Daniel! My grandchildren need a mother, not a sister."

"Please, Mom, do not involve the children in this."

"How can I not? For God's sake, Daniel! What are you thinking? Do not be stubborn, you are not going to marry her."

"That is my decision and I have already made it, there is nothing you can do about it."

"Charles, tell him something, for God's sake! Your son has lost his mind!"

His father leaned a little in his seat and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Is she pregnant?" he asked him.

"What?! No, Dad, please!"

"Then why are you marrying her?"

"Because I am in love, and I think she will be an excellent partner. Is the only way a woman like her would marry someone like me because she was pregnant?"

"Or she is after your money!" his mother added.

"You are being ridiculous, Mom."

"You are the one being ridiculous by trying to do something crazy like that. I am sure that if she got involved with you, it is because she wants something."

"Well, Mom, I did not know you had that concept of me."

"You know exactly what I mean. Lately, I have been seeing how those kinds of women approach men like you just to take their money. That is what happened to Madison's son with his supposed girlfriend."

"Deanna is not like that."

"How do you know? Men cannot think straight when they have a pair of nice legs in front of them."

"I know because she is friends with Harry and Laura and has shown no interest in my money. She has a job that I plan for her to quit when we marry."

"This is all very sudden, Daniel," his father told him.

"I know, Dad, but you must trust my good judgment. You know me better than anyone and you know I would not take a risk if I were not sure."

"That is true, you have never taken a false step... Well, it seems we will have a wedding, Camila."

"You are both crazy! You had better bring your 'future wife' as soon as possible. Do the children know her yet?"

"No, of course not."

"Better. If it does not work out, at least they will not have to see their father abandoned by a younger woman."

"Mom, please..."

"No, Daniel. No. You are trying to bring a woman no one knows into your home, where your children are, and make her your wife. Do you know you will be the talk of the town?"

"I do not care."

Well, it had not been a resounding success, but at least his father seemed to trust him. The real problem would be his mother, who would inspect Deanna from every possible angle to find every flaw she had.

He knew it, and for that reason, he called his sister-in-law to ask her to "train" her a little and accompany her to choose a more suitable wardrobe.

Laura had to do a moderately acceptable job and give Deanna plenty of advice to warn her about her mother-in-law. Camila could be relentless when she set her mind to it and make life impossible for her new daughter-in-law until she wore her down. She was nowhere near the kind of woman she wanted for her eldest son.

She had tried by all means to get Daniel to meet and date women she considered appropriate. Most were daughters of her friends or acquaintances, but her son showed no interest in them and always asked her to leave him alone. And now he was saying he was about to marry someone no one knew. Of course, she was going to do everything she could to unmask the "young girl interested in his money."

The first person she would interrogate would be Harry.

"How did your brother meet this Deanna person?"

"I introduced them. Mom, Deanna is an excellent person, you have nothing to worry about."

"Of course I do. She is going to share in the raising of my grandchildren."

"You are exaggerating. Do you not trust your little son?"

"Of course I do not trust you."

"Mom!"

"This is all too sudden, Harry, there is something strange here..."

"There is nothing strange, just that Daniel decided to continue with his life. I do not see anything wrong with that. He has every right to find someone who loves him and whom he can love."

"I am not questioning that, son. I have been waiting for this moment since Emily left us in that horrible way... But not like this!"

"Come on, Mom. You are being intolerant. I have known Deanna since we started college, Laura knows her too. She is a magnificent person in many respects. I cannot understand how she did not run away from Daniel."

"Because your brother is an important and powerful man..."

"Dean is not after his money, Mom..."

"Is that what you call her? Then you know her quite well."

"That is what I am trying to tell you."

Now, more than ever, they had to be careful, at least until the wedding took place.

The problem was not whether Camila accepted her or not, because, in any case, they were going to get married. The problem was convincing them long enough so that Harry and Laura would then have no obstacles.

Daniel was determined to break with this prehistoric family tradition. His children would never have to go through that. He would make sure to prioritize their happiness over an inherited mandate that only served to put people in ridiculous situations.

None of this circus would be necessary if they could simply live their lives freely.

But the truth was that Deanna had made an impression on him that he did not expect.

Despite her age, she seemed to be someone who knew what she wanted and had a goal in life. She knew how to defend herself and face anyone who tried to impose on her. She did not look bad and was quite polite. It was clear that she did not belong to the same social level as them, but, somehow, that did not stop her or frighten her.

He had only met her two days ago, but he could not get the image of her out of his head when she got out of the car, evidently annoyed with him, walking to the entrance without turning around even once.